LOGINIn no time, Joshua's reputation wasn't the only one to take a hit. Shirley was dragged into the dirt with him.People started calling her names, and she was suspended from work. Even the cases she had handled in the past were dragged out and examined carefully.That digging uncovered something big. On the same day Shirley was supposed to meet my parents for the sixth time, someone had pushed Joshua down a staircase.Shirley had been the attorney on that case. With no cameras near the scene and no solid evidence, she relied on her years of courtroom experience and somehow managed to sue the victim for 150 thousand dollars in damages.But then, someone released a video. It was a random clip taken by a bystander near the scene, showing that Joshua and the other person had been arguing. It was Joshua who tried to shove the other guy down the stairs, but he missed and fell himself.Shirley was cyberbullied into oblivion. Her law license was revoked.Once the dust settled, I packed my
Shirley took me to a place we used to frequent when we first started dating. I kept watching her, telling myself that if she showed even the slightest hint of guilt, I'd let her off the hook. But she didn't.In the afternoon, a message popped up on her phone. She didn't even look at it before standing up and saying, "Chester, thank you for accompanying me today. The firm needs me for something. I have to go."She hurried off before I could even respond.I knew without a doubt that it was Joshua who had just texted, letting her know the job was done.I took my time finishing my coffee, then headed home. All I had to do now was reel in my catch.…Two days later, a new software hit the industry. And its designer, Joshua, was praised as a prodigy. Leveraging his newfound title, he soon landed a job at Silverstone Tech as the development manager.I watched his interview clip that he had posted to Instagram, a cold smirk tugging on my lips. "Laugh while you can, Joshua. The show's ab
Back then, I spent ages planning that Berlund trip. I booked the flights and hotel, but the night before we were supposed to leave, Shirley said a friend had an emergency, and she had to fly abroad at the last minute.That plan had stayed shelved until now.After finding a place to stay in Berlund, I wandered all over the city. On the first day, I got up early to watch the sunrise at the harbor and then tried a local fermented tea that was the city's specialty. I had to say, it was disgusting.After that, I walked through an old fortress steeped in culture, hiked a coastal trail covered in fresh snow, explored the ruins of an estate with a tragic history, and finally watched the sun set over the lakefront.On the last day of the trip, I organized all my photos and posted them to Instagram with the caption, "Saying a proper goodbye to my youth."…When I got back to San Haron, I started packing my things to move out.Just then, the doorbell rang. I opened the door and saw Shirley
Later, I asked Shirley more than once why she suddenly decided to date me. Every time, she said it was because I was stupid. I thought she was being playful. It turned out she meant it literally.I didn't regret everything I gave up for Shirley, because I loved fiercely. Thinking of that, I let out a bitter laugh and shook my head. For Joshua, Shirley would give up anything, even herself.Just then, my phone suddenly rang. It was Shirley. I hesitated for a second but still answered. A weak voice came through the speaker, "Chester, my stomach hurts. Chester, my stomach hurts. Come back. My stomach hurts. Come massage it for me. I want you to cook for me. When you're not here, there's no one to make me hangover food. No one to…"Annoyed, I cut her off, "Shirley, I'm not your babysitter. If your stomach hurts, go see a doctor. If you want hangover food, cook it yourself. I'm not so pathetic as to learn the truth and still give you another chance to hurt me. That's it. Don't contact m
I was a little surprised. Why was Shirley home so early? Was her night out not fun?Perhaps because I didn't respond, she called out again. There was a hint of panic in her voice. Or maybe I imagined it."Yeah. We broke up, so we shouldn't live together anymore.""Did I agree to break up? Come home right now. Where are you? I'll pick you up.""Shirley, don't. I'm serious this time." I kept my voice calm.Her tone turned furious. She snapped, "Fine, fine, fine! Don't regret it, Chester." Then, she hung up.Regret? The only thing I regretted was not breaking up sooner. Now, I could eat all the blue cheese or garlic dip I wanted without worrying about her thinking it was "stinky".And I didn't have to make three meals a day anymore. That extra time could go into working on myself. I realized I had been falling behind at work. After being with Shirley, I had wasted so much time. Now, I had to make up for it. So, the first thing I did was enroll in an online course.The first week
"I'm hungry. Make me something to eat. And cook an extra portion of seafood chowder. Josh wants some. I'll bring it over to him later," Shirley demanded."Hey! Are you deaf?"I hadn't slept all night, got soaked in the rain, and my head was spinning. My patience had run out, and I snapped, "Are you out of your mind? We already broke up! You don't get to order me around."Shirley stared at me in disbelief. "What did you say? You're breaking up with me?""Yeah. I told you yesterday. Who's the deaf one now?"Shirley reacted as if I had just told the funniest joke on earth. She actually started laughing, eyes watering. "Chester, did I hear that right? You're breaking up with me? How many days—no, hours—until you come crawling back? I hope you can at least hold out for 24 hours."I looked at her calmly. I didn't even blame her for reacting this way. Because of Joshua, I had broken up with Shirley several times before. But a few hours later, I'd always pathetically apologize to her and







